The Hearts of Azeroth
by AnimusOrigo
Summary: A World of Warcraft and Kingdom Hearts crossover. Sora and Riku are sent as ambassadors to a world that presents unique threats along with an old enemy. The start is set intersecting at the very beginning of Wrath of the Lich King, and the epilogue of Kingdom Hearts II. This is my first fan fiction I've felt comfortable enough to post. Please give some advice, if there needs any.
1. Chapter 1: Dive Into Azeroth

**The Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter One: Dive into Azeroth

The familiar salty spray of the cool ocean breeze hit my face as I ran out of the wooden tunnel leading to the Destiny Island beach, seeing Riku's white hair almost blending in with the pale yellow sand as I quickly made my way to him from down the ramp. I leapt over the curiously bent tree Riku used as his seat, leaning back on it while resting my hands over the back of my head. We both stared at the expansive, rippling ocean with amber diamonds dancing along created by the sunset, painting the sky a deep yellow orange with edges of the pale blue sky of the afternoon lingering.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" Riku said, after a few moments, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Nope. Nothing will." I replied. Riku kept staring off into that ocean as if he were thinking about something. "What a small world." He finally let out, a familiar echo, but one that felt more content.

"But… part of one that's much bigger." I said, as if finishing the sentiment. Riku smiled a bit and let the comfortable silence set in, once more. But the question inside me that had been burning inside me felt right to ask.

"Hey, Riku." He turned my head up, finally creating some sort of eye contact. "What do you think that was? The door to the Light?" It had been bothering me since we got back a year ago from that entire journey, culminating in us defeating Xemnas and finding our way out of this world of Darkness. It was essentially this… giant door that led us back to Destiny Islands.

Riku laughed to himself, and hopped off of the tree, he took a few steps towards me and poked the center of my chest. "This." He said simply. I blinked and quirked a brow. "This?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Its always closer than you think." Well. That was a bit cheezy, but a better explanation than I had. I smiled and had a laugh sitting in the back of my throat.

"Sora! Riku!" Said another familiar voice. It was Kairi, running down the ramp with some sort of urgency, waving a glass bottle. She made our way to us, afterwards doubling over to catch her breath. "Look." She handed me the bottle, and I see the roll of paper with a seal on it, one large circle with two smaller one next to each other on top of it.

"The King?" I popped open the cork, and shook the roll of paper from the bottleneck. What would he be writing to us about? Aren't all these threats gone now? I rolled open the piece of paper, Riku stepped to stand beside me and look over my shoulder. Kairi stood on the other side of me, as well.

_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,_

_This letter is a request for the three of you to help assist with a new world we found. Normally, this wouldn't be something worth calling you from your home. But there are circumstances that weigh heavily on the Realm of Light. Not only pertaining to the world itself, but also the fact that there are looming signs of an old enemy. Along with this, there are hurts you must mend. Hurts not caused by you but still connected. I hope you will heed this letter's message. The stamp on the bottom is enchanted with a teleportation spell. So as soon as possible, point the Keyblade at it. This should be enough to take you to where I need you._

_Sincerely, King Mickey of Disney Castle._

I blink, and tilt my head. "A new world? When has that been anything special? Hurts?" Riku strokes his chin. "An old enemy?" He starts. "Like… Xehanort?"

Kairi looked just as confused as us. "Which Xehanort, though? Are we even sure it's him?"

I look down. "Well. The only way to find out is to take this seal and… ask him ourselves. I'm pretty sure it's big if King Mickey wants us three down there." I hold out my hand in front of me, reaching out to nothing in particular. I concentrate and focus my thoughts, and like always my Keyblade appears in a small burst of light. "Are we… ready?" I say, looking to Riku, then Kairi.

Riku and Kairi both nod. "Well. It's settled." I point the teeth of my Keyblade towards the red stamp at the bottom, taking in deep breaths. I concentrate and let the spell do its work. The tip of my blade shimmers along with the stamp. A circle appears below us, runes and lines forming as the light from the ground flows upwards, towards us. Soon, my vision starts to become obscured until my friends become clouded from sight. Everything becomes an opaque bright white and gold as I felt myself become lighter and lighter. Soon everything faded and became numb and felt as if I were losing consciousness.

* * *

I felt myself sort of wake up, the light losing opacity and my vision becoming clear once more. I was once again at the top of Yen Sid's tower, facing Yen Sid sitting in his large chair, and the King himself, both separated from us by the wooden desk in front of them. Riku and Kairi were at the exact same spot as they were at the islands, standing beside me. The old man stared at the three of us, before softening his expression as he nodded to King Mickey. The King nods back, and smiles brightly. "Welcome back. I'm glad ya' got the message and came down here!"

I nod. "Of course. But. What's this you were saying about this old enemy, and new world, and… some …hurt?" I scratch my head, my other arm hanging loosely at my side. Riku nods in agreement.

Yen Sid nods. "Yes. It appears there are signs that an old threat has come back to menace us. Xehanort has returned to continue his plans." I drop my jaw, brows contorting in disbelief at what I heard.

"Xehanort? Didn't we defeat him?" I ask. Riku tilts his head to the side. "Yeah. We got rid of his heartless, and his nobody. Doesn't that mean he's gone, now?" Riku says.

Yen Sid furrowed his bushy brows, and strokes his unusually long beard. "Yes, you and Riku vanquished Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, and his Nobody, Xemnas. But doing so has caused his heart and his body to rejoin. The original Xehanort is now formed again."

We all lost it, looking even more confused at what we had just heard. The original Xehanort is now back? Does that mean he's them combined in strength, or something? We barely defeated them at the strength they were! "What!?" I exclaimed. "How? So… what does that mean, then?"

Riku's the first to regain his composure, shaking his head. "So what you're saying is, he's even more powerful?" His eyebrow rose, expecting some sort of explanation.

Yen Sid nods. "Yes. And you're no longer fighting one of him, at least if I am correct. But, that is not the most important issue. Until he manifests himself in some way, all you will be worrying about is the world we know that is displaying signs of him. There are not only signs of controlled heartless and nobodies, but proper motive and threats that not even Xehanort can predict."

I cross my arms. "So what makes this world different from the ones we've seen, so far." Riku then adds to my query. "Yeah, what are these motives you're talking about? Doesn't he just want this world's heart? What makes this world so special?"

The wizard gestures with his hands on the table, a shimmering image of a globe appearing on top. "This is Azeroth. This world is one of ever lasting conflict and strife. Even without the Heartless, this a world worth monitoring due to its nature of being a beacon of… very large, very important cosmic events. But it is highlighted even more by the interest of Xehanort. There are forces here that if he gets his hands on, he could ultimately upset the balance between Light and Darkness.

Mickey nods. "Yeah! Now, this is where it gets complicated. There are two dominant factions warring with each other on this planet. The Alliance and the Horde. These are the two strongest unions of people. They are bitter enemies with plenty of history."

Yen Sid gestures to Riku and I. "Now, until he shows his face. I have your assignment. You two are not strong enough to face Xehanort, but. I have a test to make sure you are up to the challenge. This is what will be your Mark of Mastery exam. If you complete this, and come back alive, I will consider you both Keyblade Masters."

Keyblade Masters? That title alone sounded incredibly cool. To be considered a master at what I do sounds like the perfect thing I need to be in order to face… multiple Xehanorts. "What's the test?" I ask.

Mickey nods. "The test shall be uniting these two factions to take down a common, very world-threatening enemy. The Lich King. The Lich King is the commander of all undead in Azeroth. Shambling abominations that are the dead's bodies…. Coming back to life."

"Like a nobody?" I ask. Mickey looked a bit unsure at that. "….Kinda." He replied shakily. "These are a bit more gruesome than Nobodies, and just as fierce."

Yen Sid takes over. "Now. Before I start assigning you two to where you'll need to be, I need to warn you. This world will be absolutely nothing like anything you've ever faced. You will find concepts and facts that, to you, seem absolutely horrid, and terrible to be commonplace. You will be tested in ways you've never thought of. You will have to extinguish burning hatreds, learn when to stay your blade. At the same time you will learn when to follow through, and refrain from hesitation."

I gulp. This was a lot to take in, and I'm not sure what some of this even means for me. But to face everything I have, I know that if I just keep my head held high and stay determined I wont falter. "Of course." Riku and Kairi looked just like I do, perplexed, but also a touch nervous looking. This was a lot for them, too, I guess.

Yen Sid looked straight to Kairi. "You shall stay here. You will train with the Keyblade, with me. Your role will be just as important. As long as you take my lessons to heart, you will be on equal footing with Sora and Riku." Kairi nods, and looks to me and Riku.

"Huh. Be on even footing with you two? I guess you'll have to watch out, then!" She laughs and gives a teasing smile.

The wizard looks then to Riku and I. "But you two will be representatives of the Keyblade, to the Alliance and Horde, respectively. You both will be sent to one faction, and from then garner support from them to help lead a war against the undead. Sora, you shall meet King Varian Wrynn of the Alliance. All you have to do is give him the letter I will send you with. And Riku, you shall be sent to Warchief Thrall of the Horde. Of course, you will have protection. Humans are one of the races that are at war with the horde, but the Warchief himself should be more diplomatically minded. He will also know that you are of another world and are a representative."

Riku and I look to each other. "Huh. Looks like we'll all be apart again." I said. Riku laughs, and gives me a pat on the shoulder. "Of course, but I think we'll see each other soon. It's not like we'll be apart for long, for the most part."

Kairi nods. "Yeah. Besides, we already know the bonds of the heart from experience, huh? We'll find a way, even if things if things do mess up." She gives another smile and nods.

Mickey flashes another bright grin and sets two scrolls on the table. "These shall be enough to explain our situation. Yen Sid has already let them know you two will be there, soon. I'm sure you two'll do a wonderful job of representin' us!"

Riku nods. "Yeah." Kairi grabs both Riku and I, and gives us a hug. "Good luck, you two!" She smiles again, as we both hug her back as a group.

I take my scroll from the table, as Riku does the same. Yen Sid raises a hand up. "Good luck, and may this test prepare you." His hand shimmers, like my Keyblade did at the beach. The circle forms once more, as the light envelops us again. Riku gives me a wave. "See ya', Sora." I wave back. "You, too."

_The numbing, opaque light clouds everything again as my consciousness fades._


	2. Chapter 2: New Acquaintances

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Two: New Acquaintances

_Author's Note: Heya'! I'm really glad you're looking at my story and giving my crazy looking crossover a chance. If there's anything I need to do make this story seem more enjoyable to you, please don't be hesitant to give a review! This story can only get better with advice. I really think this has a lot of potential, and can be really awesome. I promise this only setting up all the really epic plans I have ahead for this. _

My vision starts to clear again; I straighten my back up, and look around as the once opaque light starts to become more and more transparent. It's apparent Riku and Kairi are no longer with me, meaning the spell worked. I take my first steps forward out of the fading light and see pearlescent walls, rectangular cobblestones that look faded, with sparse green moss growing in between the cracks. I look to my left and see a rather large looking fountain with benches circling it, and to my right a grand cathedral. It's huge! I gape around in awe at the rich blue carpet covering the steps.

I blink, and now that I'm paying more attention I see people staring; People in robes, clothes, and even full armor. They're just standing around the Cathedral, looking around and looking like they're waiting for awkward conversation. This world really is different! But now they're starting to whisper and mutter, while making glances in my direction. I'm able to make out snippets from the whispering masses.

'What is he wearing?', 'What was that bright light he came in?' 'What's with his **hair?**' They all seem wary of me. But then again I just happen to suddenly appear in what I assume to be a very flashy display of light. I wonder how no one in the other worlds ever questions this? But then again this is the first time I've traveled like this.

I discard my thoughts and start walking, not paying mind to the people who whisper about me. I look around more, heading towards a tall, but short tunnel that leads out of this district. Before I get even halfway to it, I feel a hand tapping my shoulder. I turn around and look up. It's one of those men in plate armor; only his is gold looking, with a large hammer sticking up from his back. He gave a wary smile from under his full beard. "You seem a bit… ah… new, here. You mind telling me what that was?"

I tilt my head at the tall man, giving a brief smile. "Oh! I'm here to see the King. I have a note here to give to him." I nod, and take the note out of one of my pockets.

He quirks a brow, "They just make couriers younger and younger, these days. Hm. What's up with uh… your hair, anyway? You some kind of half-elf, or is that a porcupine on it?" I reached up to sort of tussle my spiky brown hair.

"Half-elf? What's that?" I blink again and look to the man. He stares forward and tilts his head.

"I… what. Just, follow me. You were on your way to the Mage District of the city. The King's throne in Stormwind Keep is towards the Old Town area." He didn't seem like he thought it was worth launching a thousand queries, and waves me over walking in the direction he referred to. "So, what's your name?"

I give a brief smile, extending my hand towards the man. "Sora. It's nice to meet you, and thanks for getting me to the king!" The brown haired man took my hand and gave a firm shake.

"My name is Charles Anderson. It's nice to meet you, Sora. Where're you from?" He scratches his bearded cheek, eyeing my clothes curiously. …I guess they are kind of different from what everyone else is wearing. My small black jacket with white borders, a small yellow strap near each shoulder, with a blue undershirt accompanied by an accented red trapezoid almost as wide as my belt on the bottom, and narrowed almost to look like a triangle at the top of my abdomen. And I **guess** my pants are pretty poofy, with yellow straps latched to red bags on my hips, with two black straps on each crossed like an 'X'. My gloves and shoes fitting the color scheme as well.

Okay. I can kind of see why I'm getting looks, but I like my clothes.

"Oh! Uh. I'm from another world. The Destiny Islands. I'm here to represent my group's cause, and to help your world out!" I gave a wide smile, and nod while I walk. Though, the man stops and arches his brows.

"…Playin' pretend, huh? I'm not sure how the king will feel about this. But I get if you want a verbal lashing and an escort by the guards, I won't stop you, kid." He gives a laugh. "A bit old to be doing that, though." Pretend? What?! I looked positively offended. Though, when I realize I'm probably expecting a native to grasp concepts I can't immediately prove. Well. I lighten up.

We head towards the giant keep, everything in this city seems… connected. Or at least the walls do. The pearlescent structures seem to give this city a feeling that it constantly glowing under the sun. We went up the steps and stepped into the long hall that is the Stormwind Keep. It was a bit darker, but the porcelain looking walls and floor still shone nicely with the daylight that was still coming in. The guards lined up along each side of the hallway gave me strange glances, quirking brows, tilting heads. Whispers, mutters, questions. I have a feeling I might make a bigger impact on this world just by existing in it. Or at least this city, at any rate. We finally reach the end of the long walk down to the throne, heading into the circular looking throne room. Charles gets on one knee, looking down, then to the man sitting on the throne.

The man on the throne, the King of Stormwind, I gather. Looks at me. His hair is pulled back into a ponytail, with long bangs parting in the middle and reaching his chest. His face is tan, and scarred. Very, very scarred. I don't think it's one of those kings that sits around and does nothing but send people to do his bidding all the time. It looks like he actually does something. And it war apparent by his armor, too. Blue with gold outlines, with two shoulders that look like lion's heads. It was ornate, like any king's should be, but it looks sort of worn, so it was definitely used. He gave me a stern look, and crossed his arms. "And what is this kid doing here? Does the man with him have business with me?"

I mimicked the knee bending Charles was doing, and then stood up. I walk up to him, with a scroll. "I'm here with business from another world. I was told you were notified that I was coming to see you."

Varian Wrynn blinks, and drums his finger on the armrest on his throne. "…I was told a representative of a… 'Keyblade', is supposed to be meeting with me, yes. Is this man who was sent?" What? Hey, that's me! I'm the one with the note. I tilt my head, and open the scroll.

"No, I'm the visitor. I'm the one with the Keyblade." I nod, and reach out towards the human King with an open hand, I focus my thoughts and summon my Keyblade. I grip it and let it rest on my shoulder, the teeth pointing behind me.

Varian pinches his brow, for some reason. "I… a kid? You don't look older than fifteen. I didn't know they let children pick up weapons. Especially things that look like toys." WHAT?! Toys?!

I widen my eyes. "Hey! I'm sixteen. And this isn't a toy. I'm here to help with the Heartless and the Nobodies that are starting to pop up, here." I nod proudly, and tap my shoulder with my Keyblade.

King Varian shook his head. "Well. Aside from child soldiers carrying magic key swords. We have soldiers working to purge these 'heartless' and 'nobodies' from the city. Their numbers don't end, it seems. If you can do something, I recommend doing so. The only thing seeming to die down are the Scourge."

I tilt my head again. "Wait. You're slaying heartless and nobodies without end because you're not using the Keyblade to do so. Only the Keyblade can set free their hearts and bodies, and put them to rest. Otherwise they just reform and pop back up."

Varian pinches his brow again. "So. My men are effectively useless other than being meat shields in these new masses. And the only thing that can end this thing is a child. With a giant key. Alas, I thank you for the service, and I'm requesting you to get rid of these things. Until that's done, I'll let this all. Sink. In."

I nod, and turn around to face Charles. He's gaping, jaw open and eyes wide. He manages to stammer. "…How. I thought. But. There was no way were weren't playing pretend! And the king plays along?!" He shakes his head. "Clever, elaborate ruse. But in all seriousness, as a paladin of the Light, I can't let a child throw himself at monsters. You are to stay with me and help me find your parents."

I give a blank stare. "No, you'll see. Just come with me and stay behind me when we see heartless." I nod, and start running out of the keep. He follows in a fashion that can be more accurately described as chasing, as we exit. I start looking around for the usual signs of trouble.

I run into the 'Dwarven District', from what the sign says. I immediately see three heartless in a group. Shadows, small, dark ink-blot looking things with antennas, bright yellow circular eyes, and something of a small, proportionately rolly-polly bodies. I heft my Keyblade from my shoulder, and raise it up. Charles shouts, "Wait! Stop right there!" I ignore the cry, and rush in after the heartless, leaping and slicing through one Shadow's head with a precise strike. One on my right lunges after me, claw heading for my side. I swing my Keyblade is a circular motion, pivoting on my foot I manage to slice both heartless near me. All three hearts ascending above us as the inky shadows dissipate into the air.

Charles looked something of an odd combination of fury, confusion and awe, as I calmly trot back to him. His face flushes with color as he opens his mouth. "How could you just run into a bunch of monsters with a key?! Forget the choreography, what you managed was sheer luck. You are not t-" I raise my hand up, smiling briefly.

"It's fine. No, seriously. I've done these kind of things for two years. …I think. Heartless are what I've been fighting for a while, now." The urgency of the situation hits me again. "Just. Come on! We have to keep going if we want to rid the city of these things." I turn and run in the direction I had previously gone in, hefting my Keyblade over my shoulder again. I see a forge in front of me covered by a gazebo looking tent held up by wooden supports. I decide to go left, and come to a house and a turn, I go right, seeing another porcelain-like tunnel to exit the district. The smog from the district made an itch in the back of the throat I just couldn't get rid of.

I run out of the wide, but small tunnel and rush towards the canals, the roads and river… thing that connected all the districts. I run across the bridge and into the Cathedral district, once more. This time there's a Soldier heartless, like the Shadow, but with a bit of light armor and a helmet. It makes a jumping lunge at me, disengaging the soldier in white and blue armor that was trying to hack it. For some reason the heartless are always attracted to the one with a Keyblade. I dive under it, and heft my Keyblade once more, lunging at it. It slips to the right and lunges once more. I raise my Keyblade up to the air, and yell. "Fire!" Flames circle around me, the heartless being swept into the fire and dissolving in it, its heart ascending like the others.

"I don't get it." I look around. "Where did Charles go? Charles?!" I look around. "Didn't this district have more people in it?" I mutter. Something isn't right. The king of Stormwind made this to be a lot bigger deal than what's going on, right now. I've faced about four weak heartless and there doesn't seem to be others lingering. Something doesn't feel right, something in my gut just feels twisted with anxiety at the possibilities. I run out of the district, through the southeastern tunnel. The sign with an arrow says the trade district. Maybe I just need to get to the more populous area? If anything, I should check there to make sure civilians aren't harmed. It seems like people in other districts seem to have armor and stuff.

I run across the bridge and enter the next 'tunnel'. I take a right and then suddenly, my heart just sinks and my stomach twists. Some massive power just punched me square in the gut with its presence. I run through an alley and head towards the main gate, according to the sign. I run into the 'Valley of Heroes' as the next sign says. Giant statues of various people stand in two rows on a porcelain-like bridge structure, with a pond surrounding both sides.

But the thing my eye caught was the giant heartless that inhabited the main exit. It… looked like the one I fought when I first got my Keyblade. The upper half of its body melded to a mass of darkness on the ground There were plenty of those armored and robed people I saw earlier at the Cathedral District hacking and slashing away, and more heartless at its feet absorbing into it and freeing themselves without any type of rational sequence. I charge in, and stop. Charles Anderson flies past my right and falls past the bridge and into the pond far below. I widen my eyes, and look down, as he makes contact with the water. He's moving, but not very well, at least from what I can tell from up here. The plate armor encumbers him as he tries to move to the land below me., repeatedly falling back under the surface.

I look to the Heartless, then the water, then the Heartless. I need to make a choice, fast, or I risk having more injured and him drowning. I look to the water once more, taking in a deep breath. I point my Keyblade, and shout! "Aero!" Winds envelop the man in the water, as he is tossed on to the land, landing on his side and rolling. That couldn't have felt good. But he'll thank me when he's not dead.

You know. I almost never cast that spell, and did that really far away. I'm impressed it did anythi- SMASH. People flying.

Oh. Right.

Giant heartless. Okay.

I charge up to it again, slicing his hand repeatedly to get his attention, leaping back when it starts to move. The giant head crashing down in a headbutt, I cast a quick freezing spell on the first hand to keep it still with a "Blizzard!" I start slashing at the head, with fast and furious strikes, culminating my chain of attacks with a charging lunge, then bringing my Keyblade up, and smashing the ground, orbs and energy swirling around me in magical devastation. The creature groans, and takes its other hand, and grabs me tightly as his torso rises again. He raises me up to its eye level, and then opens its mouth, I free my arms and then stab the hand with my Keyblade.

It groans once more and throws me up in the air. I reel from the ungraceful body flop I end up doing, and then look down. I have to think fast. I'm up above the heartless, and I've now steadies upright. I take my Keyblade into both hands and use my momentum to slice the heartless monster right down the middle. It screams, and dissolves rapidly. A giant heart ascends upward as the vaporous darkness disperses. But… wait, where were the –nobodies- or that Scourge? I… wait. I close my eyes again. I can't feel anything else, within the city. It's safe, and whatever was in it, that didn't go into this thing seemed to withdraw. Maybe they felt the presence of a Keyblade.

But usually their sense of self-preservation isn't exactly top-notch when not being lead. I have something to report later, I guess.

The crowd of people who were fighting the large heartless stood shocked. They were... just staring at me. A few people moved near me and gave me a pat on the shoulder. Awful nonchalant. But okay. A few others with more confused and baffled expressions gawked and asked questions.

"Are you even fifteen?"

"How did you DO that!?"

"What WAS that?"

"No, no. That wasn't even possible!"

"Is that a giant key?"

That and more. I raises a finger, and awkwardly opened my mouth. "Uh. Uhm… if you guys could be quiet. I can explain that." The crowd silences save a few mutters. "That was a heartless. Those things you just fought were heartless. They're the manifestations of the darkness in everyone's hearts. The white thing s you fought were nobodies, the bodies and souls of the people of strong will who were turned into heartless. My weapon is a Keyblade, the instrument to purify them and set their hearts free. The only way to get rid of those two things is to release them with a Keyblade. That's why they seemed like their numbers were endless. You weren't actually killing them.

The crowd just stared again. More questions. More than I could even understand at this point. I shook my head, as a man cut through the questioning crowd. "Sora! The king requests your presence at the throne. He says it's most urgent."

I nod, and take a step forward, as I see a soaking Charles finally walk past. He looked at me, dumbfounded. I grin, and give a wink. "Believe me, now? Heh. Glad to see you're okay, though! It looked like a close call." I wave him over. "C'mon! The king seems to call for me!"

_As I head towards the Trade District of the city, I wonder if Riku ran into something similar._


	3. Chapter 3: Trials of the Misguided

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Three: Trials of the Misguided

_Riku. Riku, are you alright?_

My vision slowly came back to me, from the near blinding light that always washed over my when I was teleported somewhere; at least after I stopped using the dark corridors, my primary form of transportation when I wielded the powers of Darkness. I look to the…

Actually. I'm not sure what that is. It looks like a bull with a more human looking body, but still as massive as the creature it mimicked. Maybe even more so, as his girth nearly matched his height. I've seen some things when I've traveled across world after world, but this was one of the grizzlier specimens. He looks to me again. "Riku. Are you fully awake, now?" I nod, and look around. I see a giant, brute-ish looking sort of building. It looked like a giant, fortified hut, with a red roof, that had another circular structure upon it that mimicked the building's structure. I start to notice the dry, almost overbearing heat hitting my face. The land I'm standing on looks a dusty orange-red, a few horned lizards skittering across. On my right I see a giant monstrous demon corpse tied up and strung to supports. It… looks like a trophy. This is definitely a warrior culture.

What have I gotten myself into? I look to the beast man again. "Where am I?" The bull laughs. "You, are in the Valley of Wisdom in Orgrimmar. I am here to escort you to Warchief Thrall of the Horde. I understand you are a representative of sorts. I would guess half-elf, but your eyes are not in any sort of way magical."

I give a blank stare. Half Elf? What does he mean and what does that have to do with anything? "I see. What is your name? What do I call your kind?" I crane my neck up to look him in the eyes.

The bull-man gives a simple bow. "Tatauwi Earthclaw. I am a tauren, of the Cenarion Circle emissary of the Argent Dawn. I am here to protect you in this city. Your kind, the humans are at war with the horde and normally you are killed on sight. Now come, let's head inside before you draw attention to yourself." He beckons me over with a finger as he turns to walk inside the fortified building. I soon follow. "Warchief Thrall is the leader of the orcs, a mighty, green skinned race of people of a fighting culture, but also the leader of the Horde. The Horde is a band of races who have made a pact to help each other find our place in this world, and survive in it."

We walk into the building, and see the first room. Two green skinned men, massive and bulky as well with green skin. I'm guessing they're the orcs he was talking about. They give me a scowl, and place their hands on wicked-edged axes strapped to their hilt. Well. There seems to be some kind of truth to this war. We both walk past, into a large, circular room lit a dark orange hue from the fire, and burlap looking material and hide used to line the room. The heavily armored guards on the edges of the circular walls and next to the orc on the throne glare at me. They reach for their weapons as well, all of them pulling them out. A few even start to step closer. I give a wary look to the tauren. He steps in front of me, his massive width blocking any advance. "He is with me, to speak with the Warchief Thrall. You are to stay your blade to a neutral representative."

The orc on the throne nods. "Thank you, Tatauwi. Please, my new guest. Come closer. I am Warchief Thrall, and I understand that you're a representative, is that correct?" I nod, and start to walk closer to the throne, with Tatauwi slightly in front of me. I stand on the steps, leading to the Warchief, looking straight into his blue eyes.

"My name is Riku. I come as a representative of the Keyblade, to help your world rid itself of the heartless and nobody threats that have been presented it." I give a straight-faced glance up to the leader of the Horde. I give no hesitation to the leader of the Horde, since they probably aren't to keen on what they would perceive was weak, in a warrior cultu-

The Warchief gave a warm smile, and stood up to give a simple bow. "It is an honor to have such a representative. I was informed that you are from another world. A remarkable resemblance you have to the humans of this one." …Or he could do that. This orc seems to me that he deviates from the subjects he commands. Very odd, but fortunate for myself in that I don't have to shove past a thick skull.

I relax my posture slightly and soften my expression, giving a bow in return. "The sentiment is the same for me. I am from another world, as well as the people who sent me. The same goes for these new threats."

The Warchief nods his head, sitting back down on his throne. "Yes. Now, can you explain what these new threats are, and what this means for Azeroth? It is already enough the Lich King has risen once more to lay siege to Azeroth."

I nod, and adjust my posture once more. "These things your men are fighting. One force is the Heartless. The manifestations of the darkness held in one's heart. They steal the hearts of others and create new heartless. The Nobodies, are the bodies and souls left behind by the heartless that carried a strong will, come to life. They can only be truly put to rest by a Keyblade. A weapon of the Heart, it is able to free the hearts from the heartless and the bodies and souls of the nobodies."

Thrall nods softly, quirking a brow as he stood once more to walk, beckoning me over along with Tatauwi. "We caught one of these things. For some reason the darker… heartless dispersed. But these Nobodies became something far larger. We slayed it once, and it came back. If your weapon is the only thing that can eliminate it, by all means." He turned to us, as we walked with him out of the structure. "Please, dispatch it for us." We walk with him once more, as I take in the surroundings. It seems like this city's based in a red canyon, with many fortified structures, that give a primal feel to the city.

"You're awful quiet, Riku." Thrall says. I blink, and tilt my head. Thrall stops in front of another building, looking like the one his throne is located, but wider, and more circular. There's an opening up at the top, it looks sort of like a dome. The Warchief walks in, Tatauwi and I following as we look upon the giant nobody located in the middle of some arena. It's tremendously tall, and almost as wide. The shoulders are gigantic and pointed outwards absurdly, its head wrapped by some blue cloth-like material that wrapped around it like a scarf that flared outward behind it with five strands. It's chained by multiple spellcasters with arcane chains. These people looked fair skinned, fair haired. In fact, they look more like me than anything I've seen in this world, so far.

"That's a Twilight Thorn…" I say. Thrall nods, and gestures to the mages. The arcane bonds start to fade as the Nobody starts to thrash.

"This will be your test, to prove your loyalty to our people, and to Azeroth."

I blink, and stare at the orc for a moment, looking somewhat dumbfounded before quickly jumping in the ring. It seems these people are a fan of the 'sink or swim' notion. I look to the mages as they start to cast something else. A violet, translucent dome film starts to form around the arena. It appears they're taking measures to make sure the Twilight Thorn doesn't escape to cause more havoc. Not much support in regards to reinforcements.

But I've faced worse, I guess. But before I could react, a flash of light clouded my vision. Everything feels lighter as the sensation of standing faded as my body became weightless. The light fades, and the gravity pushes down once more as I notice my arms and legs are somehow bound on specific spots in the air with some sort of magic. I look down to see that I'm high off the ground and at… 'eye' level with the Nobody. The giant being starts to wind up a punch, I widen my eyes as I summon my Keyblade to my hand. Somehow I'm still able to summon it while bound, the sword-like, dark wing shaped blade clenched in my hand. The contrasting angel wing-like teeth of the blade glowing as I concentrate my power, the Nobody releases the wind up punch, the fist flying towards me. I only have a split second to make my move.

"**Reflect!**" A spherical barrier made of translucent hexagons forms around me, the Nobody's fist colliding with a sickening crack! The barrier shatters and a latent energy from it bursts onto the Twilight Thorn's hand. The magical bonds start to loosen, and I take advantage of the new opening I'm given. I shake free the bond on my hand, swinging and connecting with my Keyblade. The giant monster cringes, and grabs me with his other hand, squeezing tightly and throwing me towards the ground.

I manage to concentrate my power, but the incantation did not come in time, for me. I hit the ground, my back sliding on the hard, red dirt arena floor. I slowly get back up, shakily standing as I see the nobody charging some sphere of energy with both hands, a transparent orb with bolts of energy converging to a violet and blue crackling center. The Twilight Thorn prepares to throw it at me, his hands pushing backwards to spring load the blast, it seems.

I throw my Keyblade towards the center of the sphere, the blade spinning as it flies quickly. It collides with the center of the sphere, the energy shattering and knocking the giant Nobody back. I close my eyes and concentrate again, my Keyblade reappearing back into my grip. Since it's a weapon of the Heart, I'm able to summon it back to my grip from anywhere. I charge at the fallen Twilight Thorn, running to hopefully take advantage before it recovers.

I finally reach the head of the giant Nobody lying on the ground, I jump on top of the body, running again to stand on his neck, and thrust my blade down onto the Nobody's face. It screams out in pain as white, vaporous magic starts to ride from it, the body slowly disintegrating. It seems my strike was true and now the remains are starting to fade as the bodies and souls of the nobodies that joined to make this thing split and disperse. I loose my footing as the surface I was standing on became immaterial and then nonexistent.

The purple dome surrounding the battleground starts to fade as the mages end their own incantations. I take a closer look and the crowd that had gathered gape, and then… cheer. I guess in a warrior culture like this, when someone displays a feat of valor, or something they earn a bit of respect.

Well. More respect than drawing a blade on the person moments earlier. But that's neither here nor there, at this point.

"Well, congratulations Riku!" The Warchief exclaims. "That was a rather impressive display of strength to take down a monstrous being as that by yourself." He laughs. "The Horde fully supports your cause, Keyblade wielder. You've proven your worth, and your loyalty." The orc gestures with his hands once more, I start to feel light on my feet once more, but in a much more literal sense as I seem to be gently swept up by the wind itself, being carried from the indented arena floor to one of the upper levels of the arena.

"Thank you, Warchief Thrall. My friends and I are here for this world and many others. Though, this is the first time I've been sent here for a specific world. My current objective right now, is to help unite Azeroth and take down the Lich King." I let my Keyblade disperse in another flash of light.

The orc strokes his chin. "Well. Tatauwi here is in Orgrimmar on a mission from the Argent Dawn, a known organization for fighting against the Scourge. I'm sorry I could not at least give you some sort of preview of what you will have to deal with, in regards to the Lich King's forces. I can, however send you with him to deal with something happening. Apparently the necropolis, Naxxramas has moved to Northrend, but a new one has appeared and might need some attention. Acherus, it's called. If you wish to get a head start on the fight with the Lich King, I recommend you go with Tatauwi."

The tauren nods, and flashes a brief grin. "I suppose you may travel with me. We'll be taking one of those… mage portals. From there we will determine where you will be of use."

I nod, and smile back. "Of course. If this is as much of an event as the Warchief makes it, you might even meet Sora. He's another Keyblade wielder, and he's not exactly a slouch, either." I give a soft chuckle.

The large bull snorts. "Hmph. More kids with odd shaped weapons showing us up."

I give a blank stare. "I'm… seventeen." The bull laughs.

"One hundred ninety four, kid." He gives a toothy smile. Wait, are those called teeth, in bulls? I think they are. Yeah. Teeth.

Whatever. He starts to walk, once more. "Come, we will speak with the mage who sent me here." I walk with him, and I let my mind briefly wander as I did.

_I bet Sora's having just as much fun as I am._


	4. Chapter 4: Depths of Death

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Four: Depths of Death

**(( Hi! I'm glad you're here again. This chapter was enough for me to feel I should raise the rating up to "M" just for violence in this, just in case. If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to review. It doesn't even have to be bad things I'm doing, just name some good things that you feel you're not seeing enough of. Let me know you guys are reading! ))**

_Sora. Hey, Sora! Pay attention!_

Huh-what? Oh. Charles glares down at me as we enter the 'Mage District', a remarkably greener portion of the city, the ground covered in grass and buildings covered with patches of vines. I look in front of me an-…

"Hey! Watch where you're going, weirdo." I bumped into the woman walking with her two friends, all three of them wearing some kind of robes. They all start walking in the opposite direction again, talking to each other some ting about a love potion, streams, and other magical jargon. Strange, I never really had to deal with all of that. All I had to do was concentrate my power a bit, point my Keyblade and shout the spell I wanted. I think that's just the benefit of a Keyblade, I guess. Shortcuts.

We stop at a large tower, Charles nodding to a man. "You spoke with the king, yes?" The robed, bald man asks.

"Of course. I told him about the new necropolis that popped up near Light's Hope Chapel, in the Plaguelands. We even got this new Keyblade wielding kid. The one who took down that giant… shadow thing." He nods to me, as I smile proudly while crossing my arms.

The grey mustached man nods, as he mutters a few inaudible incantations, his hands shimmer with some kind of power before a portal opens. "There you go, a portal to the Chapel." He smiles and bows his head. Charles steps in, fading away as his body is sucked in.

I step forward, letting the hole the man ripped in reality take me to where it will lead, closing my eyes. Everything became fuzzy as I entered, my mind seeming to shut off for a split second as I suddenly realize I never even finished my stride as I find myself in a totally different place. I look around at the new surroundings. Everything looks a sickly, orange-brown color. Like everything in this region had just died. The aura this place gives off is an awful, slightly nauseating one, one that isn't quite all Darkness, but not one of Light, either. There's something more in this aura of Darkness that feels more like just awful, hostile intent.

I look around to find a small building, bare bones woodwork. Apparently this is the 'Light's Hope Chapel' those people were referring to. I look to see Riku standing right at the entrance with a-

WHAT IS THAT?! It looks like a bull on two feet- scratch that. Hooves. I mean, I know I should be used to giant, bi-pedal talking animals by now. But what I'm seeing is something far more grizzly, realistic, and downright intimidating. Regardless, I run up to Riku, scratching the back of my head. "Heh. I guess we're back together pretty quick, huh?"

Riku grins, and pats me on the shoulder. "Yeah. Though, we did clear up that we wouldn't be apart, long." He laughs, and pushes me with him. Charles, and the large bull walk with us to another man in menacing silver plate armor, red hair, red mustache, and slightly tanned skin. "Hello, Charles. Hello, Tatauwi. Who are these children you have brought to the Plaguelands, of all places?"

Charles grins. "Well. They have volunteered their services for our cause. These are the Keyblade wielders you were informed of. The ones the… mouse sent us to retrieve from Stormwind and Orgrimmar. …I still can't believe you weren't lying about a mouse, asking you to retrieve a boy with a giant key."

The man laughs. "Well. I guess you owe me a drink, later." He gives a wink. And looks to Riku and I. "Well. Since you're the help that we need in exterminating the Scourge threat, here. It's fitting I give you assignment. Now, you two and a few others will be ambushing the Death Knight forces, by hitting them at Tyr's Hand. We'll be asking for numbers, types of forces, and how the Scarlet Crusade it holding up against them."

Riku nods. "Alright. Well, all you need is numbers, kinds of soldiers and a report on the Scarlet Crusade?" He raises a brow.

The man nods. "Charles will explain some of those things on the way. Please, hurry though. Time is a factor in all of this. We need to judge when an attack on us will be."

I give a grin and scratch the back of my head. "Well, if that's the case, we'll be heading out, now." Charles nods, and beckons Riku and I over, we both follow him out of the chapel and into the brown, deathly landscape. We keep walking away from the chapel, as I spot a giant. Worm? No. Maggot. A giant, freakish maggot! Its odd, squirmy movements only amplified by the amount of detail I can see because of the size.

Charles drags me by the back of my collar. "No time to gawk at things, Sora. You need to focus. This is an important mission. You need your focus if the Scourge is really this alien to you. They will tear you limb from limb if you are caught off guard." I gulp and look ahead, walking with the others once more. He's probably right. Everything I've been told about this sort of conflict leads me to believe it's probably nothing like I've faced before. In fact, the closer I get to this place, the colder I start to feel. Like a chill breeze that only got worse as you get to the center.

We reach to where I assume is in front of Tyr's Hand, more pearlescent buildings, along with a cathedral that looks strikingly like the one I saw at Stormwind. Except everything had a red color scheme, instead of a blue one. I can tell there's some sort of skirmish going on, over there. I just can't make out what.

Charles looks to Riku and I. "Now. These Scarlet Crusaders, while human, are not your friends. They will try to kill you if they see you in the line of fire. They have reached a level of paranoia and fanaticism that they will kill anyone who they think isn't one of them. If they attack you, you cannot be hesitant. It will only get you killed by another man, and raised by the Scourge. Do you two hear me?" Riku and I both nod. "Good. Get your weapons out. This is now enemy territory."

I reach out again, concentrating on the spot where my hand is, and in a small flash of light my Keyblade appears in my hand. I've always noticed something, but never had paid attention to it. My Keyblade was always warm, the steel never felt cold. From the gold handle, to the silver blade and teeth of it, even when everything else was cold, it felt warm. Riku looks to me, his own Keyblade summoned. "Ready, Sora?" I give a nod to Riku as Charles unstraps and takes his golden two-handed hammer from his back. I inhale deeply, focusing my thoughts and ridding myself of distractions, "I'm ready." I say, as I let out my exhale.

Charles starts a jog as he sets out for the first skirmish, raising his hammer high and heading for a figure clad in dark looking plate. His hammer starts to glow as he starts to strike, glowing with more intensity as it gained momentum and speed. The man in dark armor brings up his jagged runeblade to parry, the bright blue runes glowing bi=righter as the impact rings true. The darker being staggers back as Charles closes in and pulls the helmet off, his large, plated hand covering the sickly looking face. Charles mutters something inaudible in the chaos before the creature starts letting out this awful screech of pain, the glowing blue eyes flashing and flickering as the face and hand start glowing a radiant gold. The dark figure collapses and ceases movement.

I stare for a split second before jumping into the fray, my Keyblade held high as I dive towards another darkly armored person. He… it turns to look to me, under the helmet are bright, icy glowing eyes that stare at me. I slice down at the armor, the plate splitting where the teeth of it cut through. The creature groans in pain as it raises its hand and fires some sickly looking bolt of magic. I focus my energy into my Keyblade and yell, "Reflect!" As a small sheet of transparent hexagons repel the blast, he re-absorbs it and lunges at me with the sword, I raise my Keyblade to defend. The creature's large runeblade collides with my blade, leaving us at what I expected to be a standstill until that blast of energy he had absorbed started pushing out from the blade and launching me backward. I take advantage of this distance and point my Keyblade, concentrating my power once more and yell "Blizzard!" as a sharp bolt of ice flies towards the death knight, skewering it as it silently collapses.

I look around, and see Riku effectively decapitating one of the dark beings with his Keyblade, the head and hood on it dropping to the ground a long with the knight it belonged to. Charles looks to Riku and I. "We're about to head into New Avalon. I'll scout and take a look at the forces and their status. If you find amiable civilians, take them and protect them."

We both nod. "We'll take care of that." Riku says, as he heads towards the burning town, I follow as well. We both jog until we see the massacre at its end. Bodies of soldiers, civilians, and Scourge knights strewn about in all directions. Many killed in sickening, grotesque ways. Some were hung on trees, some were gored and sliced. Many succumbed to horrible plagues, as evidence by the sickly, unnaturally pale, green, and blue colored faces. Some were even impaled and stacked on light posts…

What…

What's capable of this? Who would even do any of this?! Why regular people? What did the even **do** to them? Why in these horrific ways?! None of this can be done with some sort of heart. I've seen things described as **lacking** hearts do less horrible things. Who are we fighting, and why is this cruelty… this utter disregard for anything having to do with decency.

Wait. No. Decency is not cutting in line or not being rude. Indecency can't even be paired with what I'm seeing. This is outright **evil. **

_**These things are monsters**_**.**

Riku looks at me, he looks just as upset. But his face starts to show concern as he looks at mine. "Sora. Sora!" He looks down, and back up. "We can't let this distract us. We need to focus, or we could die just like these people. Let's hurry up and find survivors so this doesn't happen to anyone else." Riku raises his Keyblade and starts running to one house, I follow him as we find nothing. We exit and head towards an inn, we run inside as Riku shouts. "I'll take the upstairs, and you take the next room over there!" Riku heads up the stairs as I run past the fireplace, and bar into the cook's room. From there I see a set of stairs leading downwards, I go down and look into the basement. It's dark, but I hear a panicked set of footsteps coming to me, I raise my Keyblade as some muffled screaming, masked creature starts to shove me to the ground, a clawed hand raising upwards to strike at me while I'm down.

I shout, "Fire!" As a stream of flames whirls around me and burns the masked abomination, it rolls around as it flails away from me, but in the end he lies there, motionless. I run back upstairs, as look to Riku who's returned down with a old man. He sports a ghost of what once was probably a broad, muscled frame withered away by starvation. His sunken cheeks were only slightly visible under his thick, untrimmed beard as he gaped at me.

Riku nods to me, and then turns to walk out as I follow. "Alright. I'll keep the man with me as I check the other houses. You check out the forge. Charles already came down here and told me to come back to the entrance to Tyr's hand when we're done. So us two will meet at the entrance of the town before then to make sure we made it out. If you don't see me in ten minutes and you're our spot, look for me." From then, I split off to go run towards the forge, as I see one darkly armored knight guarding the entrance. I engage him by leaping up, Keyblade high as I strike down, the death knight parried with strength larger than the others, very obviously burlier than the others. He pulls away and strikes down, I stepped up onto the sword, whose tip is now buried in the dirt, and leap over as he picks it up, flying over his back, I grab onto a plated shoulder and flop over the knight, facing his back and thrusting my Keyblade through. This was enough to make him groan and gurgle, falling over limp as I dislodge my Keyblade.

… I've… never seen blood on my Keyblade before. It's almost disheartening to know that I've had to do this. I shake the thought off, though. I run inside to inspect the building. I see two knights inside the forge area, and think of a plan.

Taking them on would be a very significant disadvantage, numbers wise. So I have to out think them and surprise them. And that's where the plan hit me. I concentrate on my focal point, and where the knights are. I let out the name of the spell to activate it, "Magnera!" A bright flash of light followed by a bright combination of magical streams and orbs, to draw the two in, like a magnet. Being caught off guard, they look around frantically, one spots me as they hit the epicenter of the spell, spinning around with the other knight as it fires a razor sharp lance of frost at me. I deflect it with my Keyblade, sending the shard to impale the other knight, limp and flying still. The spell fades as one drops to charge at me, and the other falls and collapses. The charging Scourge minion holds his sword low in order to slice me, but I move around the monster and swing my blade downwards to execute it by decapitation. I look around, seeing none left. I run out and look to the final two houses in my area.

I run inside one, and find nothing other than a well-furnished room tossed and strewn about, with no sign of the inhabitants. I run into the next house and see nothing as well. It seems the Scourge spared none if they found any. Even people who just wanted to be left alone. I run out and head towards the beginning of town, seeing Riku and the old man. Riku smiles, and nods to me. "Glad you're back, Sora. Let's get out of here before more notice our presence." I nod, and run with Riku as a darkly armored man speeds past us.

"Well. I see the Scarlets, or Argents have decided to send a couple of kids our way. It seems they're not as honorable as they claim to be. To give the honor they couldn't spare, I shall tell you my name. Jayde. And I'm here to make a few new soldiers to replace the ones you disposed of." The Scourge knight grins at me, and laughs. He looks… human. He was once a person. Now he's… this abomination. Icy eyes glowing furiously with malice staring me down, straw-like black hair, sunken eyes and cheeks with blue lips. Riku glares back at him, as the old man starts to make a break for it.

The knight scowls, and runs towards the old man, I give chase, and Riku lunges at him, as the dark man roots us both down with chains of ice. We struggle to move, I yell, "Fire!" The flames circle around me to melt the chains.

But it was too late.

The knight had already dug his runeblade into the man's side, and ripped it out. The man fell on his knees, his insides spilling forth from his gut and to the ground. The old man picks them up and trying to stuff them back in, before falling unconscious. Dead. Jayde lets out an incantation, to quickly raise him, glassy eyes stare at me as the newly raised body looks at me and lunges. His insides hanging and falling out as he flew towards me.

I dodged, and refrained from striking. He doesn't deserve this. He didn't do anything, why should he go through more pain? Why should he die twice?! Why should his fate be once again sealed by the people that that tried to save him?!

Riku doesn't hesitate as his bonds dissipate with time, decapitating the old man, and sending him back to death once more. Riku looks to me. "Sora. I… I know. These are monsters. These are nothing like the Heartless and Nobodies. You can't let this shake you, though. I know how you feel. Don't let your anger overpower you."

No, Riku. I… there are just some things to get mad at. This thing. This…. MONSTER. I open my mouth to speak, not to Riku, but to Jayde. "Why. Why?!" I stare daggers into this abomination, clenching my Keyblade as it started to feel white hot. "He did nothing to you. All he wanted was to get out of this. Why did you go through us to kill the helpless one? Why did you turn down an honorable fight to take the easy one out?! You have no sense of honor!" I snarl, as he kept his perpetual smirk, seeming to revel in how I felt.

Jayde laughs. "Honor? Honor is why the Argents are going to fall, dear boy. Honor is what's holding you back from true potential. From victory."

I shook my head. "The victory is hollow when you go about it like… like monsters!"

The knight shook his head. "Says you."

Says me? Says **me**?! There's no way he's serious. He feels that… that was a victory. Squirming past Riku and I to kill a civilian! I raise my Keyblade, anger and indignant fury burning in my eyes. "Then I will have to put you down like a monster **should be**!" My eyes start to water. He doesn't flinch at the unbelievable pain and suffering he's brought to every person he's touched. He's not aware of the monster he is.

Riku looks at me with concern. "Sora! You have to listen to me! You can't just let your anger get like this! I understand how you feel, but you have to control yourself!"

Control?! Of course I'm in control. I'm going to control what is going on and put down the rabid dog that is this knight. How can you say you understand, Riku? You don't seem half as disgusted as I do with this.

_How can you say you understand?_


	5. Chapter 5: Battle of Light's Hope Chapel

_**(( Heya' again. Sorry this took a bit, but this one got really long! I'm glad you're sticking this out with me, if you're here. If there's –anything- I can be doing better or more of, please leave a review. Let me know you're reading this crazy crossover! ))**_

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Five: The Battle for Light's Hope Chapel

"_Do you actually understand, Riku!?"_

What?! Am I sure that's even Sora saying any of this? His eyes burn with the fury I haven't seen since… that battle with his Nobody, Roxas at the World that Never Was.

I raise my Keyblade up, and pointed it at the death knight, Jayde. "Sora is right about one thing. You no longer need to have a tether to this world, as you are right now. The strike of this blade will set what was once you free. Count on it." Sora's anger might be past where it should be, but I won't say it's not for the wrong reason. These are monsters.

Sora charges at him like a mad bull, his Keyblade poised above him to slash downward in front of the death knight. I take advantage and run around the armored man, lunging and aiming to get a strike from behind. I poise my Keyblade to try to impale the man, as he parries Sora's strike, and lets out a chilling blast of frigid air around him, knocking Sora and I backward.

Sora yells out his next spell, "Blizzara!" A bolt of ice flies out of his Keyblade and towards the knight, I follow suit and launch another. "Thunder!" I shout, as a bolt of lightning strikes down from the sky towards the death knight. Jayde laughs as some green… barrier shell forms around him, our spells absorb into it as his runeblade glows brighter. He swings his blade in an arc, a sickly green wave of magic flies towards Sora and I. I hold up my Keyblade to keep the blast at bay, but I look to Sora to see he has already sliced through it. I swing my Keyblade in an arc to deflect the rest of the blast outward. I can't let him absorb those blasts, again. If we can drain him of his unholy strength, we can get an opening.

I raise my Keyblade, as I shout again, "Thundara!" A few bolts of lightning strike down from this more powerful spell, the death knight activating the spell absorbing shield once more.

The thing was, none of my spells were aimed at him. The bolts strike everything around the knight. Sora looks to me and grins, taking advantage of the death knight's concentrated state to throw his Keyblade at him, the blade spinning and then striking the knight's chest with the teeth and me. The blade disappears in a flash of light to reappear in his hand, as he repeats the process. I take no time to jump in, striking the death knight's back repeatedly, penetrating the armor with the second strike. I keep striking for who knows how long, before the death knight screams. A gust of wind pushes me back, as he looks to me.

"I'm done playing with children." He shook his head. I can't believe I'll be using my hysteria to deal with yo-"

"**MAGNEGA!**" Sora shouts, as a bright flash of light occurs, as he's pulled into the center of the bright focal point he created. "Riku! Eternal Session!"

He throws his Keyblade up, as I do the same. "All's End!" Our Keyblades start shooting bolts of magic at the incapacitated death knight, usually saved for the culmination of our combination limit attack, Sora wasted no time in skipping to the strongest part of our attack, the bolts tear through the knight as he screams, eventually being consumed as the light shrouds briefly, before clearing up with no sign of the body. Our Keyblades drop from where they were floating, we run up, leaping to catch our Keyblades. We land next to each other and bump fists, like we always did after that attack.

Sora and I look around. Everything's empty. No sign of any of the Scourge. It's… it's too empty. Something big is about to go down. "Sora. None of this is over. We need to get to Charles, now." He nods, as we both run out of the town and through Tyr's hand, seeing the bodies of the Scarlet Crusaders and the Scourge knights that were slain. We reach the entrance and see Charles.

"It's good you two made it out. You two look worried. What's up?" He asks, a brow raised.

"The Scourge look like they're planning something. There's none of them anywhere." Sora replies, I nod in agreement.

Charles pales, and widens his eyes. "We have to warn Light's Hope Chapel. That's the only place they can strike next." He turns and launches into a full sprint, as we both follow. I look up, as I feel droplets on my face only to see that they're red. I widen my eyes.

"Is it... is it raining blood?" I say, as we head closer to the Chapel. No one answers me. We finally reach the Chapel, Charles doubles over for breath. We head to the man in charge inside. Sora and I look absolutely strung up and shaken. "Scourge forces are preparing to strike, her-."

The red haired man interrupts. "I know. They're waiting just outside the mill to charge, with their full strength. We've mustered three hundred or so men. They have upwards to the thousands. We'll fight them with what we can, and the Light will see us through."

Sora hefts his Keyblade to his shoulder. "Then Riku and I will be the men you need to match their numbers. Count on us."

The ground shook once, an unholy presence made itself known through he area. I speak up, "We need to head outside. It seems like they're about to attack." Sora and the man nods, as we run outside. The three hundred or so men stand waiting, Tatauwi, Charles, a few others that seemed significant, but unidentifiable all the same.

The ground shakes once more as a hollow voice boomed across the land.

"Soldiers of the Scourge, death knights of Acherus, minions of the darkness: hear the call of the Highlord! RISE!"

The ground shakes again for much longer, and far more intense than the first time. The unholy presence seems to bear down on us, like a weight pressing down on us.

I look to the mill, and see the heads and shoulders of… misshapen, giant beasts. I can't make out much but it doesn't look natural at all.

The hollow voice booms once more, "The skies turn red with the blood of the fallen! The Lich King watches over us, minions! Onward! Leave only ashes and misery in your destructive wake!" The Scourge army started to charge, the endless numbers starting to become apparent as we could make them out. I raise my Keyblade up, getting into my fighting stance as I await the flood of monsters.

One of the men runs up to stand in front of the red haired plated one. "Lord Maxwell, the army approaches!"

The man now identified as Maxwell lets a booming shout across the field. "Stand fast, brothers and sisters! The Light will prevail!" The army readied itself, the hundreds of men raising their weapons and lining up. Sora and I rush up to the front.

"Spare no one!" The hollow voice shouts. I can see him, the leader of this battle. He bore the largest unholy presence of all of them, his blade emitting some kind of… awful power. The square-looking blade looking corroded and corrupted, with some kind of large, circular crescent missing, or intended to be absent at the front of one end of the blade with a skull-like object floating in it.

"Sora! Take out those giants!" I look to see misshapen giants crafted from flesh, as I leap up above the flood of smaller undead, towards one on the far right heading towards the chapel itself. I manage to cut the chest of the flesh giant with my Keyblade, slicing repeatedly at the giant as I descend to its feet. The giant monster smashes his fist down, the impact from narrowly dodging the fist itself sending me back, the clang of swords and armor, the sound of flesh rending becoming dulled as I recover from the backwards send off.

I look up briefly as I stand once more and ready my Keyblade, to see Sora unleashing one of his own assaults on a giant, combining raw magical power and Keyblade strikes to cut the giant and stagger it, the aerial assault consisting of the strikes that create horizontal rings of power as they connect with the giant, noticeable chunks missing as Sora gives a barrage of magical strikes.

I leap back to action, the monster slamming his fist down once more. I climb up the fist and run up the arm's length. I dodge the hand that slams down on the bicep, and jump to its shoulders. I start swinging my Keyblade at the head. It lets out a deafening roar, as it grabs me, and throws me towards the skirmish below. Before I hit the ground, a feel a sense of weightlessness, as a familiar voice shouts "Aero!"

I grin at Sora, who thrust his Keyblade once more, sending me flying towards the creature; I ready my Keyblade and slash the giant's upper body and head, the creature letting out an abrupt roar, cut off by its death. That is, if it were ever alive in the first place. The monster tips over and crashes down, I leap off of the beast, as it starts to fall. I ready my Keyblade to strike down a death knight as I land, it falls as the blade slices through the neck. I look over to see Sora's giant down, as well. There remains one, but I shudder as the hollow voice barks once more.

"Ashbringer defies me... OBEY ME, BLADE!" The leader seems to be on the defensive, as the blade's presence makes itself more known.

I look to Sora, and then the last flesh giant. "The whole thing?" I call to Sora. He grins, seeming to know what I'm talking about.

"The whole combination attack? Hah! That'll be enough to take the last one down." We both position ourselves near the flesh giant, cutting our way through the ghouls and zombies in our path. We both shout, as we begin our combination.

"**Eternal Session!**"

We leap up, and start slashing at the giant, letting our power keep us up in the air for a few seconds longer as we hack the midsection. We leap back, while in the air as we shout. "Last Saber!" As Sora charges back forward, and I make my way behind the flesh giant, stabbing rapidly as we move in unison to the same point along the back and torso, respectively. We move back, and I join Sora at the front of the beast, as we continue our next part of our combination. "Master Hearts!" As we move closer, back to back as our Keyblades start to glow, and form an extremely long blade of light on each, as we turn as a whirlwind, cutting the monster with the blades of light as we made our turns.

As soon as the light began to dull, we discard the light blades and point our Keyblades up as swords formed around us to blur as we shout, "Thirteen Blades!" The blades cut into the beast deeply, green ichor dripping as it staggered, stunned just like the other attacks. We throw our Keyblades and land on the ground, the Keyblades launching the same magical devastation shooting at the abomination as before. The light becomes brighter, and in a brief flash the giant collapses, our Keyblades dropping, as we catch them. We bump fists as we see a man come in on a horse, running in and leaping into the fray.

Sora and I stand stunned at the amount of Light he seems to have, almost the same gut-punching feeling as the amount of raw darkness at the necropolis. The whole battleground seems brighter as he yelled with a coarse, grinding voice, "You cannot win, Darion!" I run in to get a closer look, as the battle starts to calm, some flee as the remaining smaller undead are extinguished, leaving only the death knights that survived. The man himself sports a set of glowing, golden plate armor with blue accents. His beard and hair, swept back is white.

He looks around, inspecting the Scourge survivors. "Bring them before the Chapel!" The leader, and a few other death knights kneel in a formation to the man. What was it about this guy that made them surrender? His impossibly bright aura seems to have completely stunned them.

"Stand down, death knights. We have lost. The Light… this place… no hope." The hollow voice says, looking up to the golden plated man. The defenders circle around, Charles and Tatauwi standing next to Sora and I.

"Have you learned nothing, boy? You have become all that your father fought against! Like that coward, Arthas, you allowed yourself to be consumed by the darkness, the hate... feeding upon the misery of those you tortured and killed!" The man says, his voice raising and increasing in a controlled intensity. "Your master knows what lies beneath the chapel. That is why he dares not show his face! He's sent you and your death knights to meet their doom, Darion." Master? The Lich King? What's underneath the Chapel?

This gets more confusing, the more I hear. The older man spoke again. "What you are feeling right now is the anguish of a thousand lost souls! Souls that you and your master brought here! The Light will tear you apart, Darion!"

The hollow voice comes up again. "Save your breath, old man. It might be last you ever draw." A flash of light appears again, we look behind us to see some sort of spirit bathed in some kind of Light. The spirit is a large man, red hair and beard, clad in white and blue armor. He's wielding a sword, that looks just like the leader guy's, only the blade seems untarnished, and the 'skull' is some golden disc.

"My son! My dear, beautiful boy!" The spirit says. Darion cringes and writhes.

"Father! Argh… what… is…?" Another spirit sprints out of the darkly clad man, and to the first spirit. He looks to be a young, red haired teenager. "Father, you have returned!" The shade of Darion hugs his father. "You have been gone a long time, Father. I thought..."

The spirit of his father shakes his head, giving a gentle smile. "Nothing could have kept me away from here, Darion. Not from my home and family."

The shade of Darion looks down, mustering some kind of nerve before speaking once more. "Father, I wish to join you in the war against the undead. I want to fight! I can sit idle no longer!"

The older looking man in golden armor stood next to the Death Knight, Darion, as the spirit of his father frowns. "Darion Mograine, you are barely of age to hold a sword, let alone battle the undead hordes of Lordaeron! I could not bear losing you. Even the thought..." He seems to trail off until the shade of Darion interrupts.

"If I die, Father, I would rather it be on my feet, standing in defiance against the undead legions! If I die, let me die with you!" The shade sounds desperate, with a strained sorrow and frustration resonating in his voice.

The father let out a haggard sigh, looking disappointed at his son, placing a hand on his shoulder as his lips form the smallest hint of a smile. "My son, there will come a day when you will command the Ashbringer and, with it, meet out justice across this land. I have no doubt that when that day finally comes, you will bring pride to our people and that Lordaeron will be a better place because of you. But, my son, that day is not today." His smile grew into a genuine grin. "Do not forget…"

The father is cut off, as something seems to be sucking the spirit in. The light fades as a horrible presence bears on us again, the same one I felt at the beginning of this trip. The figure steps forward, a black plated knight with a jagged, icy blue glowing runesword that resonates with his power. "He is mine, now…" The voice caused slight trembling in the ground, so deep it lacked any tonal qualities of a voice. Pure hollow speech.

Darion rises up, his consciousness back to the knight. "You... betrayed me. You betrayed us all, monster! Face the might of Mograine!" He bellows, taking his sword and charging to whom I now realize is the Lich King. The leader of the Scourge swats away Darion, sending the knight flying back a great distance as he skids to the ground, managing to get on a knee. "Pathetic…" Was all the Lich King chose to say.

"You're a damned monster, Arthas." The elderly man of Light said, staring daggers at the man he addressed.

The Lich King gave a low, rumbling chuckle, sending a shiver up my spine as I held my Keyblade up. Sora seems to have been doing that for a while, gritting his teeth at the Lich King. "You were right, Fordring. I did send them in to die. Their lives are meaningless, but yours... How simple it was to draw the great Tirion Fordring out of hiding. You've left yourself exposed, paladin. Nothing will save you."

The Lich King points his sword, a dark spell channeling from the sword into the old man, black magic covering him and suffocating him, as he gasps for air. Sora and I raise our Keyblades, as Maxwell screams. "ATTACK!"

Sora, Charles, Tatauwi, everyone who was left charged up to the Lich King as we readied to strike. Arthas points his sword once more, yelling.

"_**APOCOLYPSE!"**_

A giant wave of shadow sends us all back, killing some of the weaker defenders in the process. I skid on the ground, as Sora lands on his feet. He grits his teeth, and stands tall. "No! I'm not letting you win! I've had enough of what I've seen from you people. I'm going to stand up and end this!"

"It's over! Give me strength!"

He spreads his arms out, a spherical barrier forming and shattering into hexagons in a flash of light. From it, his clothes change almost purely into red, a second Keyblade forming and materializing in his hand, the slightly curved blue and yellow star-themed weapon. This is the one of the Drive Forms I've seen before. It's a form Sora can take that takes its strength from his bonds with the hearts of others. This one is his Valor Form, it specializes in melee combat and physical strength. He gains a second Keyblade, for some reason, as well.

Sora leaps at incredible speed and distance to the Lich King, he raises his original Keyblade, the Kingdom Key to strike him. Arthas parries from below with his runesword, Sora then strikes quickly after into the sword with the other blade, Star Seeker and pushes upward to rise above the other and land behind the Lich King. He gives a barrage of fast, impactful Keyblade strikes from all directions, which Arthas parries strike by strike. Sora manages to slide around the Lich King in a display of speed, managing to get an upward slash, knocking the Lich King in the air a few feet above. Sora leaps to take advantage of his new opening. Sora lets out a yell as he starts his chain of Keyblade strikes, rings of power trailing as he made each strike. The Lich king let out rumbling grunts as they both land, Sora slamming both Keyblades down to create a ripple of power to sweep Arthas.

The Lich King bellows once more as his speedy charge towards Sora surpassed the previous feats of agility, grabbing Sora by the neck as his hands started to emit black, misty magic. Sora struggles as his body started to weaken. I get up, standing shakily on my feet as I heft my Keyblade once more. I charge with what strength I have left. "Sora, no!" I'm immediately swept back by a cold burst of frigid wind, landing on my back, clenching my Keyblade as I stand once more, but unable to run. "No… This won't happen!"

The death knight, Darion grips his own sword. "That day… is not today." He throws his sword, towards the old man. He collapses afterwards. "Tirion!" The blade whirls through the air, tip over pommel, and Tirion catches it. The Light envelops Tirion, as the sword becomes awash with bright light. It seems to revert back to the untarnished blade in that vision. I can only blankly stare as I try to comprehend the amount of Light that radiates from this blade, and the man wielding it. Their power seems to synchronize, and grow, as they become something that feels accustomed to each other. It's almost as if the sword chose this man directly.

"**ARTHAS!"**

The Lich King looks just as stunned, dropping Sora as the boy falls to the ground, his clothes reverting to their original colors, the second Keyblade disappearing. "What is this?" He asks.

Tirion gave a death stare to Arthas. "Your end." He leaps forward, and with one strike, the Lich King leaps back and… sizzles? This hit seems to have injured him far more than Sora's rampage.

"Impossible!" He bellows. "This… is not over. The next time we meet, it will not be on holy ground, paladin." He creates some kind of dark, magical gate behind him, and backs into it. He doesn't show up on the other side. He's gone. I run to Sora and grab him by the shoulders, wrapping one of his arms around me for support. He slowly steadies himself, grabbing his Keyblade. "Thanks, Riku…"

Tirion runs over to Darion, and lays a hand on the death knight's shoulder to heal his wounds. "Rise, Darion, and listen." The death knight rises to remain kneeling. He walks a few steps towards the other human death knight, and turns towards Darion.

"We have all been witness to a terrible tragedy. The blood of good men has been shed upon this soil! Honorable knights, slain defending their lives - our lives! And while such things can never be forgotten, we must remain vigilant in our cause! The Lich King must answer for what he has done, and must not be allowed to cause further destruction in our world. I make a promise to you now, brothers and sisters: the Lich King will be defeated! On this day, I call for a union. The Argent Dawn and the Order of the Silver Hand will come together as one! We will succeed where so many before us have failed! We will take the fight to Arthas, and we will tear down the walls of Icecrown!"

"**The Argent Crusade comes for you, Arthas!"**

The death knight, Darion rises up and speaks. So too do the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Although our kind has no place in your world, we will fight to bring an end to the Lich King. This I vow!"

Sora widens his eyes and stumbles forward. "What?! T-Tirion! You… you can't consider letting them in. I've seen what they've done. I… I don't know if we can side with monsters."

The elderly paladin shakes his head and looks to Sora. "I can understand where the sentiment is coming from, young boy. But you must sense the betrayal that these people felt. Fallen heroes who were enslaved and the betrayed by the King they were enslaved by. We can only honor their request by having them vow to take down the Lich King. They wish for one last chance to right the wrongs they were forced to commit."

I walk up to place a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Sora. These people… they were brought into a dark path. They have had to suffer being controlled by this… awful ruler. Slaver. They wish to walk the path to dawn, now. The same path I walk. Remember that I have made the same mistakes as them, and I wasn't forced to my start of darkness. If you can forgive me, you will have to forgive them." I give the slightest of grins. "Hey, Axel was a Nobody, a being supposedly devoid of emotion and he still sacrificed his existence for yours."

Sora looks down and started off into nothing, in thought for a moment. He looks to Darion. "If… you're willing to atone for your sins, and lead your forces to eliminate the Lich King, then I will forgive you. The road to dawn is one worth walking." Sora smiles slightly, and stuck out his hand. The death knight takes Sora's hand with his own cold, plated one and gives a shake.

"I expect nothing more from the living." Sora nods, and walks back to me. The death knight speaks once more. The Knights of the Ebon Blade will check on the Ebon Hold."

Tirion nods. "And meanwhile, I will ask for two death knights. One Alliance, one Horde. They will reestablish bonds with their faction to unite us all against the Scourge."

Maxwell walks to Tirion. "I will send them with the Keyblade bearers. Charles and Sora will go to Wrynn, Riku and Tatauwi will go to the Warchief."

Tirion looks to Sora and I, and cocks a brow. "Keyblade bearers. I've been wondering what those strange weapons are. Or why young boys seem to be on our battlefield. Regardless, it seems like you two held your own. Especially the younger one." He looks straight to Sora. "I applaud your actions, and your skill. I never thought anyone could do what you did to Arthas. Please, your names?"

We both nod. "Riku. It's an honor to meet you."

"Sora. It's nice to meet you, as well!" He smiles, and scratches the back of his neck.

The old man gives a grin. "It's an honor to meet you both. Tirion Fordring. Please, tell me more about who you are and what you wield."

I nod. "We're Keyblade bearers, people of another world. These are weapons of the heart, used to expel the darkness in the world and bring balance to the Realm of Light. We are here to help you with not only the Lich King, but to investigate signs of the Heartless and Nobodies, otherworldly beings that have found their way here."

Tirion nods. "I look forward to finding our more about you, and what you're here for. But for now, I believe Lord Maxwell Tyrosus tasked you. I think you two are… keys to the war on the Scourge, excuse the pun." He lets out a short chuckle. "Until then, I will meet you two in Northrend."

Sora and I nod to him, as he walks off. Maxwell trots up to us, with each death knight. One is short, and wide with a fairly large and thick brown beard, the other a green skinned, tall orc that stared down at Sora and I. Both seem emotionless and cold, as they await something. "Are you two ready to go to the faction leaders, once more?" Sora and I look at each other.

"Heh. See ya' later, I guess, Riku. That was really good today!" Sora says.

I give Sora a pat of the shoulder and a grin. "Yeah. You… were phenomenal, earlier. You kind of saved our butts with that rampage you went on." Sora and I laugh, as we head with our death knights, and representatives. We both stare at our portals. Sora steps through his, as I watch him fade away. I look to Tatauwi and the death knight and nod. I step through the portal, feeling that temporary dampening of my mental processes.

_The Path to Dawn seems a bit more crowded, today._


	6. Chapter 6: Playing Catch-Up

**(( WHOA GUYS. I UPDATED. I'VE BEEN BUSY, THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT. ))**

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Six: Playing Catch-Up.

_Remember what you've been taught so far, Kairi. Are you ready?_

I blink, and look around the purple room. I see three types of Heartless in the Yen Sid's training room. The Shadow, the Soldier, and the Large Body. The Large Body is a new one for me, a big and round Heartless. I hold up my Keyblade, as I take my fighting stance. It felt sort of awkward with my new outfit, something similar to Sora's, with poofy pants, short jacket and undershirt. Everything was given faded violet and dark blue tones.

"Remember to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your targets. Strength must be found through wisdom." The wizard says, watching from above on some kind of circular balcony round the room. I raise my flora themed Keyblade and charge the group, immediately crashing my blade on the Shadow's head, the weakest heartless wafting away in a vaporous shadow. I turn to the Soldier Heartless, and thrust my Keyblade, aiming to get in between the helmet and armor to pierce the neck. I end up flying back, my red hair getting into my face as the Large Body bumps me with his rotund torso. In fact, this Heartless seems to be mostly belly. It waddle-charges towards me as I raise my Keyblade, concentrating my thoughts on the spell, and shout, "Stop!"

The creature does indeed stop, as if time itself stops for it, and it only. I take this newfound time and point my Keyblade towards the Soldier, shouting, "Blizzard!" as a shard of razor sharp ice flies towards the Heartless. The chunk of ice rips through the armor and shadowy body of the Soldier, as it dissipates as well. Facing the Large Body, I strike at the torso of the creature, my Keyblade bouncing off of the belly. I blink, and tighten my grip on my Keyblade. Why didn't it do anything? Wait. Didn't Yen Sid warn me about identifying weaknesses?

I run around the large Heartless, and strike at the back, as it unfreezes. The Heartless staggers, and turns quickly to face me. I run around it again, channeling a spell as I shout, "Fire!" As flames circle around me, but instead of hitting the back, it turns around again as the flames whirl. The Heartless still staggers, cringing as the flames stick around and burn still, after the spell had finished. I raise my Keyblade to capitalize on the attack, and his newfound weakness. I shout, "Thunder!" Lightning soon striking down onto the Large Body, as the attack stuns him. I run around the giant creature once more, to swing and slice the Heartless' back a few times. It, as the others soon dissipates into shadow once more. I look to Yen Sid, as he nods in approval.

"Very good, Kairi. You seem to be more and more adept at magic, as we go through these tests. These are Heartless, in strength that would have bested Sora, during the Ansem, Seeker of Darkness conflict. And you used enough spells to tire him out, back then as well. The spell, Stop is not an easy one to maintain. Now, we will move on to nobodies. I will bring out more that test your strategy, rather than brute strength. But since you were able to pick up more spells than the average Keyblade wielder would towards the beginning, utility will not be a problem."

Yen Sid gestures with his hands, four Nobodies appearing in some strange, grey magic. Two humanoid looking Nobodies with pastel purple light armor and crossbows stand on opposite sides of the room. Two feminine Nobodies dressed in a very light pink appear next to each other, and another humanoid Nobody with a long, slender sword standing in the middle. I raise my Keyblade once more, and take my fighting stance. Two ranged attackers, one definite melee combatant and two Nobodies of unknown attack style.

The two Nobodies who hold ranged weapons start to shoot at me, red lasers speeding towards me. I roll out of the way of the first one, and swing my Keyblade at the second blast. I manage to divert the laser to hit one of the pink Nobodies square on the forehead, the body starting to break up and fade in a wash of grey. I start running towards one of the purple, ranged Nobodies, and start winging my Keyblade from side to side. The hits connect, each hit slicing the armor bit by bit until a chunk of the breastplate becomes exposed. I'm suddenly grabbed by my torso, the room whirling around me as I'm grappled by one of the Nobodies. I'm swung about before I'm thrown across the room. I look as I land on my back, to see it was the pink Nobody, slinking in a dance like sliding fashion towards me.

I raise my Keyblade once more before my shoulder is overcome with a piercing, burning pain. It appears one of the lasers hit me, but I shout something before it shoots again. "Zero Gravity!" The room around me becomes weightless for the Nobodies. The enemy targets float about helplessly, as I point my Keyblade towards them. "Triple Blizzaga!" I shout, as three bolts of ice fly from my Keyblade. One hits the dancer, as it dissipates like the other, as the seconds hits the ranged Nobody, the bolt tearing through the exposed part of its armor. The pastel purple shooter fades in a gray wash of smoke.

The third, however is parried by the nobody with the sword, as it lands. The spell seems to have worn off. I hold up my Keyblade in a fighting stance, as it holds up its sword. I sprint towards the Nobody, as I swing my Keyblade down, the pain from the laser wound burning even more so as it parries. The impact sends me back, a bit as it charges and grazes my wounded shoulder with its blade in one swing. I grit my teeth and raise my Keyblade up again to shout. "Cure!"

Green light washes over me, I already feel rejuvenated from the spell's effects, along with my shoulder's wounds fading. I leap forward the short distance I was sent back, and swing my blade several times at the Nobody. It parries strike after strike, before I drive the teeth of my blade through the gray opponent. The Nobody breaks apart and fades around my Keyblade.

Yen Sid smiles, and climbs down from his balcony in the room used to view the tests. He pats me on the shoulder and nods. "Very good, Kairi. I think you're ready to receive training from the mages of the Kirin Tor. You're strong enough to hold your own against what you're facing by virtue of your adeptness in magic. But being adept and holding your own will not be enough. To help get you on the level of Sora or Riku, I've had Archmage Rhonin agree to get his best teachers to train you in the art of magic, just not from your Keyblade, but from Azeroth itself. I have a feeling that if we adapt to Azeroth's magic, we'll be one step closer to not being a stranger to that world."

I quirk my brow. "We've never been this focused on one world, before. Why are we focusing so much on Azeroth?"

Yen Sid nods. "Xehanort knows things that will upset the balance of all worlds, that are hidden within Azeroth. This world we are training for is a beacon for many cosmic and supernatural events we've never encountered. The Heart of this world is something far more powerful, something far more potent, something far more… sinister, than we've faced. I still do not know all that goes on, but I do know that what can't be contained in that world will spill out and bring forth Darkness. There are beings that not even I alone can face."

I blink, and tilt my head. "Not even you…?" I scratch the back of my head. "And you think Sora, Riku, and I can face them?"

The wizard strokes his beard. "It will not be you three, alone. There is more to this world than what's inside it. This conflict will be the springboard for many others, and other people that need to be saved. Xehanort aside, the world itself is not the only thing that draws us to battle once more. You will find others from your past that you might not remember, or that might not have seemed significant at the time." He starts to gesture lightly with one of his hands, fingers starting to weave strings of bright white. "You will find out soon enough, Kairi. You are just as large of the piece of the puzzle as the others."

Yen Sid stops his finger wiggling as a portal opens up. "Go in, Kairi. There is a man waiting for you in the room you will end up in. I wish you luck."

I nod, and smile. "Thank you, Yen Sid." I start to walk through the portal, everything starting to feel… drowsy. My mind starts to shut off as the magical currents suck me in. The last thing I hear comes from the wizard. "Give Rhonin my regards."

_It feels like the current washes me away, before I fall into my trance._

_My mind comes back, to see a world of violet._

I shook my head, holding it as a brief dizziness stuns me. I look up, to see a tall man looking down towards me. He's dressed in elaborate robes of violet and gold, his hair is cut short along with a trimmed black beard with grey and white hairs peppered in it. "So. You must be Kairi?" He asks.

I nod. "Yes, I am. Yen Sid sent me here." I hoist my Keyblade over my shoulder, flashing a brief grin. Around me is a dome-like room, the walls are a dark violet hue with the carpet being a dark blue. …I'm starting to see why my outfit was designed like it is.

The robed man nods. "Of course. My name is Duran Larroldson. I will be your teacher. Your friend requested the Archmage of Dalaran himself, but since he is busy dealing with the Nexus War… I will teach you in his place." He walks up to me, and looks to my Keyblade. "I'm afraid you'll have to put that away. I know that your weapon is something very powerful, and integral to this other conflict we've been blindsided with, but I want to teach you the basics. To learn from the arcane, you will learn magic at its most base form. It is your previous teacher's hope that you will learn to integrate this with your Keyblade's power."

I nod, and let go of my Keyblade, closing my eyes and concentrating to let the Keyblade disappear in a small flash of light. What's this about magic at its most base form? I guess he wants me to learn magic without my Keyblade as a crutch.

He nods, and starts walking me towards the corridor ahead.

_Just wait until I can show Sora and Riku things they don't know._

_I've been trapped in the Realm of Darkness for… I don't know how long. Will there be an end to this void?_

I sit in the sand, looking up at the perpetual night of the shoreline. The sound of water brushing along the shore is the only thing that fills my ears. The black rocks strewn about the sand, and the black formations arcing from the still sparkling sea stand still. I look to the man in a black coat, sitting and staring as well. I get up, and walk to him.

There's another person here? I've been here for years and not one time I've ever seen another person wandering the dark wasteland. "Who are you?" I ask.

The man who's face is obscured looks to me, the rumbly deep voice is almost calming to me. "Hello. It's not often I get visitors."

"Please, call me Aqua." I say. "Why are you sitting here in the Realm of Darkness all alone? How did you end up here?"

"Well… I can tell you this is the second time on these shores. But unfortunately, much like the first, I do not remember who I am or whence I came. Everything was washed away in whatever current carried me here."

I shook my head. "That's too bad…" Was all I could think to say, as I look to the ocean again and sit. "I know I've been here a long time, wandering through the endless hours, unable to escape." I rest my chin on my knees and wrap my arms around my legs.

The man looks to me again. "You wish to return to your own world?" He asks.

I look down, and then to the sea again. "It's my friends. I'd promise I'd be there for them."

"Your friends." He says, "Somewhere in the scraps of memory I have left, you remind me of a boy I once knew. He is very much like you- true to his friends, and kind. This boy travels to many worlds and fights to keep the Light safe."

"Keep the Light safe… I've been away too long. Did something happen out there? Are the worlds in danger?" I ask. What's been going on while I've just been wandering?

"Sad to say, they nearly fell to darkness more than once. But at every turn, that boy arrived with Keyblade in hand to save the day."

I blink, and look to the man in black. "Huh? Wait a sec… is his name Terra or Ven?"

"Neither of those, I'm afraid." He says sadly.

I sigh, and look back to the ocean. "Should've known…"

The man shook his head. "How long has it been, since I met him… at least year, now. Perhaps more. Back then my heart was clouded with terrible vengeance. I did terrible things, to both him and his friends. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one. I felt something must be done. Was that why? A means of clearing my conscience? Or perhaps, out of some scholarly instinct? While the boy slept his sleep, I hid the results of my reseach inside of him. Transplanting the data to where it would best suit its purpose."

"I'd like to believe, maybe he can set things right. A boy like him, who touches so many hearts. Maybe he can open the right door. And save all those people whose lives I managed to ruin. Even me… and even you." He finishes.

"What's this boy's name?" I ask, as I turn to face him again.

"His name is… Sora…" He lets out softly.

I smile, and start to feel a tear run down my cheek. I let out a small sniffle, as I repeat. "…Sora."

And then… a bright Light came about at the shore. It… looks like a door. A door made out of Light. "What… I…"

The man stands up, as I do. "Let us go, together. I'm… not sure what this is… but I feel it may be our way out of this realm. I feel the Light will not steer us wrong."

I nod, and start walking. "This… might be how I keep my promise." We head inside the door, as the Light starts washing over me. I close my eyes, letting the warmth wash over me.

_Let this be my second chance…_

I awake, and look up. I look around and see I'm very high up, judging from how I see the snowy landscape. I hold my arms as the cold wind suddenly hits me. The woman in front of me nods and smiles. He's… sort of a tall woman with tan skin, bright ember eyes, red hair and… horns? Her equipment was a sort of skimpy gold and red armor. Her presence feels warm despite the biting cold.

"Hello. The fact you landed here was not a coincidence. You… must be one of the people that my visitor mentioned."

I blink, still trying to get used to sensation. There wasn't much... sensation in the Realm of Darkness. "I'm… Aqua."

The woman smiles, and bows before saying.

"_I am Alexstraza, the Life-Binder. I am the Aspect of Life."_


	7. Chapter 7: The Bitter North

**(( Holy crap I updated. Yeah, I know it's been a bit. College does that. I'll try to be a bit faster with my next one. ))  
**

**Hearts of Azeroth**

Chapter Seven: The Bitter North

_Hey, Sora. The boat's docked. Wake up._

Huh-wha'? Oh. I open my eyes, and roll right off of the hammock I was on, and onto the floor. Riku, the one who woke me up shakes his head. "Looking sharp, as ever." He grins, and pulls me up.

So far, after the Plaguelands… Riku and I went back to the cities we appeared in. We both took a factional representative of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. I took the death knight I was in charge of, Dagrun Steelbelly, to Stormwind. We went through Stormwind City to find the King, once more. The 'dwarf', as he called himself was pelted with awful things and yelled at the entire journey. It… was kind of freaky. They were saying things like… 'The Scourge wiped out my family'.

And there I was… taking one of them to be redeemed. I just hope Riku is right about what he said about being redeemed. And if I can accept Riku, I can accept the death knights. We took him to Varian, and I showed him the letter. He made a declaration about treating them just as any hero.

After that, he gave Dagrun and I orders to go to the docks, to set sail for Northrend. It seems we're going to be taking the fight to the Lich King. Still… it gives me chills to know we're facing him in his home turf. Even my Valor Form was shrugged off by him, and he was apparently on ground he was weak on.

Riku pokes my chest. "You okay? You zoned out." I blink my eyes.

"Heh, sorry." I say, scratching the back of my neck. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. This entire experience is still sinking in, y'know? Anyway, why are you on my boat? Have I been asleep that long?"

Riku laughs. "My boat was here for about an hour before yours. I didn't see you get off, so I'm making sure you get off." He pulls me along. "C'mon." He says. "We have to get briefed as to what exactly we're doing."

I walk with Riku, and… whoa. The 'Borean Tundra' I was told about… looks amazing. The blue ocean sparkles with the sun shining on it, the icebergs nearly blinding me as they reflected all the light they got. I turn around and see the still sort of under construction Valiance Keep. An inn, a keep, and a boat still being built. I look to the sky and see the yellow-ish auroras that streak across the sky as I just realize the nipping cold that starts to bite at me. Riku and I head into the inn, considerably warmer than the outside. Charles and Dagrun sit at one of the tables. Charles nods to me and invites us over.

"You finally wake up, Sora?" He grins, taking a swig of whatever's in his wooden mug. "The recruitment officer should let us know what our mission is. I've been told we have something to do here before heading to Dragonblight."

Riku nods. "Yeah. Until then…" He looks to the barmaid across from us. "Glass of water, please." He and I take a seat in the available chairs.

I scratch my head. "Any idea what we're in for?" I ask. The barmaid brings a glass of water and sets it in front of Riku. He takes a sip, and shrugs.

Dagrun looks to me. "Well. Ya' got undead aplenty, little fire-rat things, and the tension between the Alliance an' the Horde, an' whatever th' hell those things that started popping up, recently."

Riku nods. "That's why Gortek or Tatauwi aren't here. This is an Alliance establishment. He'd get killed, here."

A man with short black hair and mustache comes to our table and sits in the last seat. "Charles. 'Lo. I'm guessing these are your companions?"

The paladin strokes his brown beard and nods. "Aye. Sora, Riku, and Dagrun. The young men are the Keyblade people we spoke about. They're here about the Heartless and Nobodies we've started to see."

The black haired man nods and bows towards Riku and I. "Recruitment Officer Carven. It's nice to meet you both. Now. We have information from scouts about the enemies around here. We know that the Scourge are working with the new forces that have popped up in the Tundra. And a few of the greater scourge forces can control them."

Riku blinks, and takes another sip of his water. "So… that means Xehanort has contacted the undead. And most likely the Lich King."

The officer nods. "If this Xehanort controls these Heartless and Nobodies, that means we'll have to hunt him down, too. Though, with him working with the Lich King, I'm guessing where we can find one, we can find the other."

I shook my head. "Maybe. But Xehanort likes to work with trickery. He's subtle, and often has grand plans that account for everything. Often times in the past, we had to wait until he made a move or take the fight to him. And considering there's two armies with two leaders, we can't wait for him to make his move."

The officer looks to me and crosses his arms. "Which is why we will send you four, along with the… Horde… partners… to scout out the leader of the undead forces here."

Riku gulps the last of his water and sets the glass down on the table. "You point out where, and we can do just that."

Charles takes out his map, and slides it over to Carven. He takes out a pen and marks an 'X'. "This is where we think they're concentrated at. Our scryers believe this is the apex of the dark power in this area." Charles takes the map back, and stands.

"Let's go. We will meet up with our horde Cenarion and Ebon Blade partners, and head there. Tatauwi promised us something that would help us with any mass produced army. Hopefully it doesn't fall short of expectation." He says, as Riku, Dagrun, and I get up to leave.

We get outside as Riku tosses me a coat. "No sense fighting when you can't feel your arms." He smirks, and puts his on. The coat I put on is a dull grey cloth, lined with thick fur on the inside. …It does feel a lot better than being out here with short sleeves. I don't know how I stood the cold mountains in Mulan's world.

We head to the gryphon roost. Charles tosses the man with goggles a few coins. "Two gryphons." He says.

Charles and Dagrun hop on a gryphon. They both look back at us expectantly, as Riku hops on with the dwarf, and I hop on with Charles. They both make a running start, as I hold on tight. They take off in the air, soaring high above the keep. I look down to the exit, and see two gargoyles heading towards us. I hold out my arm and summon my Keyblade, and shout. "Blizzard!" As a bolt of ice flies out of my Keyblade to pierce one of the gargoyle's wings. The winged undead creature flails the one working appendage as it takes a long fall. Riku looks to me and summon his Keyblade as well. Riku throws his blade in a spinning motion, the blade being stuck through the chest of the monster, as it starts to fall as well. The Keyblade disappears and reappears into Riku's grip.

Charles looks to me with a brow quirked. "Thanks. You're surprising with how well you work in almost every situation."

I grin, and let my Keyblade disappear in a flash of light. "Thanks. If the enemy has everything, then so do I."

The gryphons start losing altitude as Charles and Dagrun find the spot to land in. Below, I see… a tank! That's sweet! I hope I get to ride in that.

Charles seems to groan, however. "What the hell did Tatauwi promise us?" He says, as both the gryphons touch down. We all hop off of our mounts, and walk towards Tatauwi and the orc. The tank they're standing next to looks somewhat rude, made out of wood, mostly. It's mostly a catapult you can drive…

A tank's a tank, okay? That's cool in itself. "So what's the tank for?" I ask.

The orc quirks a brow at me, as Tatauwi laughs. "What do you think it's for, my boy? It's for mowing down the undead. You should have seen the trip here." He says, smirking.

Riku shrugs. "So, I'm guessing you got the mission, too?" He asks, crossing his arms.

The orc nods. "Yes, Riku. We will obliterate the smaller undead. As there will be many in number, we decided a machine like this was necessary."

Charles nods. "Makes sense… Then Dagrun and I will get on our gryphons and rain both Light and blight on the larger undead." Charles looks to Riku and I. "You two will handle the Heartless and Nobodies. If what you say about them is true, then we'll need all your effort concentrated on them if we hope to get these numbers dwindling."

The orc crosses his arms. "And how do we know the Heartless and Nobodies won't just go for those who can't take care of them? Can they get their attention?"

Riku rests a hand on his hip. "They're always drawn to those who wield the Keyblade, it's one of the things we first learn as wielders. We're like a beacon."

I nod. "Sounds simple enough. So if we find this supposed leader, what should we do?"

Dagrun hefts his runeblade over his shoulder, grinning. "Then ya' take th' bastard down. That is, when the wee ones are at a bit more manageable level."

The tauren snorts. "Let's not charge in blindly, when we get to him. Scourge leaders are no pushovers. Even with the six of us, we'll need to see if we can stand a chance. Most likely, it will be when he is more alone."

I shrug. "At this point, the only way to find out is to get in there and see." I reach out and summon my Keyblade once more, now that I'm no longer holding on for dear life on a bird-lion. I look down to the ground. The snow isn't as thick, and I can even see dead grass. The hue is similar to… the grass in the Plaguelands. We're definitely near the Scourge.

Riku nudges my shoulder. "You ready? We're definitely near. Try and get as many Heartless as we can, because anything they kill will reform."

I nod, and rest my Keyblade over my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Try not to use all your magic, by the way. I'm having the feeling we'll be facing more than just a bunch of grunts." I say.

The tank starts rolling once more, Dagrun and Charles give their gryphons a running start, soon leaping up into the air with speed. Riku and I make a jogging start in the direction of the decaying grass. Riku summons his Keyblade, raising it up and bursting into a sprint. "C'mon, we're lagging behind." He says.

I step my run up to a sprint alongside Riku, and soon enough, I see what they were referring to. Surrounding a large, circular stone slab is a huge army of Scourge, Heartless, and Nobody alike. In the middle of the stone slab is a large, floating skeleton creature in mage-like vestments. The others had already started their assault, a section of the army being crushed, burned, and rammed by the tank. A few of the giant flesh creatures were struck down by a joint effort by the men on the gryphons, bolts of Light and Dark slicing them down.

Riku jumps into the fray, and starts slicing away at the crowd of Shadows and Dusks, one after another fall to each swing of his Keyblade, dissolving and breaking down into vapor and releasing Hearts.

I raise my Keyblade, and start impaling the creatures, making sure to dodge the undead. I drive my blade through the crowd, covering more ground and driving myself deeper into the heart of the swarm. As I find myself in the middle of the swarm, turning to me, I start to encounter larger Heartless, Nobodies, and even Scourge. I take in a deep breath, and concentrate my will, my thoughts, and the bonds of those around me to create a burst of Light, once again taking on a Drive form. My clothes become enriched with a blue hue, with silver accents. My feet barely touch the ground as raw magic surrounds me, my Keyblade levitating with merely a thought in my hand. I raise the blade up and yell, "Firaga!" A whirl of flame surrounds me, the rows of the Heartless and Nobodies that circling me dissolving without so much as a whimper.

A few of the Snipers create a triangle to try to trap me, pointing their crossbows to lock on. I jump up as they shoot, letting the arrows of energy collide rather than hitting me. I yell, "Thundaga!" As lightning bolts strike from the sky down onto the three ranged Nobodies, creating another shield of flame to tear through the crowd, pointing my Keyblade and focusing my raw energy to shoot rapid bolts of magic to help thin the herd of smaller creatures of the Heart.

Riku, rather, spends his time dealing with the bigger ones. The Berserkers, the Large Bodies, he snakes around them to steal slice after slice. Taking advantage of their weak points and attack patterns to whittle their strength bit by bit. Soon, they fall before his blade as soon as the next ones surrounded him.

The gryphon riders kept working on the abominations and flesh giants. Hammers made of Light and pools of Darkness that left flesh to decay and crumble slowly took care of the large undead.

The tank driver, however decides to push for the center, to charge towards the still inactive leader of this army. As I circle the stone platform, still extinguishing both Heartless and Nobody alike I see not only the floating skeletal leader, but also the black hooded figure below them. That has to be someone with Xehanort, if not the man himself. I shout, "Blizzaga!" As large shards of ice shoot out and splinter among the army, each individual shard cutting through grunts and splitting apart as they head towards the new target.

The tank reaches the stone circle in the center, trying to ram both the skeletal magus and the hooded person. Both raise up a hand, the tank being blown away by chilled winds. The tauren and orc jump out of the tank and ready their weapons, running towards them. The Scourge wizard decides to slowly drift backward as the hooded person charges, summoning a massive claymore. The sword is jagged, but symmetrically so in that it mimics the sigil of the Nobodies throughout.

They're going up against Saïx?! This… this isn't good. He, and the rest of Organization XIII are supposed to be long gone. That is, unless they can come back like Xehanort.

The orc hefts his Runeblade and clashes blades with the Nobody. The death knight grits his teeth, his limbs are the one having to push their limits to keep up with the Nobody. The Tauren takes his mace, and mouths something, the weapon becoming imbued with the power of fire. He takes his shot and lands a hit on Saïx's shoulder, the berserker sent tumbling back, but recovering before anything could be followed up on.

Riku widens his eyes, and starts cutting his way through the monsters. I continue to shoot bolts of magic at the army, for the sake of not letting numbers overpower us.

The gryphon riders seem to be joining in, on the fight. I look up and see the Scourge's large constructs on the ground. Bolts of Light hit the ground; the resulting shockwaves pushing the Nobody back, as Riku finally reaches the area. He jumps up and readies his Keyblade for a strike, as Saïx lets out a blood curdling roar, as he seems to be enraging. His eyes glow, and he grows bestial fangs, and his claymore grows spikes made out of energy. He slams his Claymore on the ground, releasing a shockwave the knocks the combatants back to the edge of the stone circle. Riku is the first to recover, as I finally decide to rush towards the stone platform and grab his shoulder. "Leave him to me! Just take care of the rest of the army!" I yell.

Riku nods. "Yeah." Was all he could say as he turns and runs to the remaining Heartless, Nobodies, and smaller Scourge.

I take in a deep breath, pointing my Keyblade at Saïx. I start shooting bolts of magic at him in rapid succession while I glide along the stone's edge. I need to keep moving. I need to stay away from him. The berserker, however moves straight through the bolts while using his huge sword as a shield. He swings his claymore each time he nears me, the shockwave he unleashes something I can barely avoid.

The dwarf and human were sent crashing down quickly from their gryphons, trailing their descent is residues of frost magic. I widen my eyes as I see the large skeleton start to come into the fray. He throws barrages of frostbolts at the four Azerothian combatants on the circle. I raise my Keyblade and yell, "Reflega!" As a shield of translucent hexagons in the shape of a semi sphere absorbs the bolts and sends them right back. While I take note on how he absorbs them back into his body, I'm hit by the broad side of the claymore, caught off guard. I'm sent flying back and on the ground, tightening the grip on my Keyblade. Suddenly, my clothes lose their blue hue and my feet touch the ground once more. My Wisdom Form has run out of power, and at the worst time. I tighten my grip on my Keyblade, and Riku pats me on the shoulder.

"We can do this. We destroyed him once, and we can do it again." He says.

The berserker raises his giant sword, before lowering it on the ground, and opening a dark corridor. "Well. Now that I know what we're working with, I can go with a report on just how strong a force to employ. Goodbye, for now." He says, as he slowly backs into the dark portal.

The giant skeletal mage gives a bow, and slowly fades. "Yes. Give Tirion regards from Kel'Thuzad, and of course, the Lich King."

Charles gets up, and shakes his head. "That… I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed by foul creatures of that caliber. Who was that person, alongside Kel'Thuzad?"

I nod, and rest my Keyblade over my shoulder. "That was Saïx, he's part of Organization XIII. He was supposed to be long gone, along with the rest of them."

Riku lets out an exhausted sounding sigh. "But if Xehanort is coming back, I imagine the rest of them will follow. We'll have to be on our toes. They're Nobodies, and strong ones at that."

The orc crosses his arms. "If those thin sticks of arms could hold back my sword, I imagine they have other things up their sleeve."

The dwarf snorts. "S'like muscle mass means nothin' in their world. Them and you Keybearin' kids."

The tauren speaks up. "Well. If we wish to make sure we know where they will strike, we will have to go back and give our reports. You people will go back to Valliance Keep. Hopefully we will meet at Dragonblight, to strike at Naxxramas."

Charles nods. "Of course. I've also got a report from one of the Argents from the Wyrmrest Tower. Apparently the Keybearers will be interested in this bit of news."

Riku quirks a brow, and speaks. "What is it?"

Charles looks to both of us. "Apparently the Aspect of Life has found another Keyblade bearer."

I widen my eyes. "Kairi?!" I exclaim, as Riku crosses his arms.

The paladin shook his head. "No. He didn't mention a 'Kairi'. Her name was… uh. Aqua."

Riku tilts his head. "Who?"

The dwarf waves a hand dismissively. "Och. We'll find out when we get there. But first, we'll have t' get there. C'mon. Back to the keep."

The paladin nods, as the two Horde members head the other way. "Winds be at your back." The tauren says in parting.

I look to Riku, as we start walking back, stepping over the massive pile of undead bodies that finally rest. "A new Keyblade wielder?"

Riku shrugs. "Maybe Mickey will be there to sort it all out."

I nod, and look to the path on front of me. The biting cold nips at me, with the rush of adrenaline fading and my sense no longer dulled. I stare at the aurora that lingers in the sky, the only sounds being plate boots and shoes treading on dead grass and snow.

_I have a feeling we'll end up with more questions than answers, soon._


End file.
